Borneo/Kalimantan Part 3
Peter Nevile
On some of our stops along the river our guide arranged a car. The first stop was to see the rare but famous black orchid. After several hours in the car, we arrived at a fairly dilapidated building which appeared to be a refuge for the rangers of the National Park. We then set out behind the ranger and our guide, trekking through not exactly jungle but more like tall scratchy shrub with a temperature of about 32 degrees and humidity at approximately 95%. It was then that I realised it would probably be my last trek in the tropics. Sometime later, with great elation, our guide found a rare black orchid. Apparently, it only blooms a short time and is very hard to find so we were very lucky Without wishing to appear a philistine, I must say I was a tiny bit underwhelmed. It looked awfully like a white orchid to me, which a fly had walked on and used for its sanitation, creating a number of black spots. ( Sanitation was a constant source of interest to me on this trip) Nevertheless, we appeared suitably impressed and retreated with some relief back to the air-conditioned car.
We then drove for some time in the opposite direction to a Dayak long house. It appeared to be the only one around and kept specifically for tourists. It would have accommodated maybe up to 20 families in separate rooms along one side with a long open space on the other. There were some inhabitants engaged in producing some local handicrafts. However, I suspect they probably went home to something more comfortable in the evenings. Not wanting to appear to have a fixation on sanitation, I was unsurprised to learn that not having water nearby, the rudimentary sanitation was created by having bamboo slats on the floor. Long houses for protection were on raised stilts and the access ladders pulled up in the evenings, making it difficult to attack the inhabitants and much easier to defend. It transpired that the slats in the floor were in fact directly above pens for the pigs and once again, the endless cycle of life was repeated. The Indonesian government. in its infinite wisdom, decided that sanitation arrangements were no longer acceptable, and so removed the pigs.
We spoke to a number of Dayak people who were remarkably well-dressed and working for the government on an environmental project. Returning to our river boat, we proceeded further up the mighty Mahakam, after a refreshing cold shower, mainly because there was not a hot one, and a cold beer courtesy of the ice box.
The next excursion was to a river town where the banks were low and the town basically sat completely on stilts with all the roads being raised platforms between the houses also on platforms. There was a school, administrative offices and some form of celebration going on. We were the only Europeans and in fact, it had occurred to me that we had not seen any other Europeans for a number of days. So, we were to some degree, an item of curiosity. It never fails to amaze me in Indonesia, given the surroundings, how clean the children are in their school uniforms. They often make our children in Australia quite grubby by comparison.
Our itinerary included seeing the orangutans. We travelled for some hours in a car generally along ridge roads arriving at a quite a large town which apparently serviced the extensive coal mining in that area. Previously there had been an Australian owner who had also employed quite a number of Australians. The story was that a well-connected Indonesian company with a well-connected Indonesian owner had now taken over in a questionable spirit of nationalism. Unfortunately, the river or creek we had to navigate was too low to be able to reach the orangutan rehabilitation centre, so we spent the night at a local Chinese restaurant and at a local hotel. I arranged for my laundry, which by that time was beginning to be a sanitation issue all on its own, at an express rate over night. To my surprise it was returned with a bill for an amount equal to $2,40. Fortunately I had se previously seen orangutans in northern Sumatra.
We returned the next day to the riverboat. Driving through many rural areas I am always surprised by how few people are about on the roadside except in villages. They are all engaged in something, perhaps working, resting escaping the heat and humidity or at activities adding to the ever-increasing population. In Kalimantan there was previously a significant influx of people from both Sulawesi and Java under a government program of Transmigration. The houses along the road had the traditional designs from their places of origin. Some came simply because there was more and cheaper land and greater opportunity. Some were Bugis people who were and are still traditional seafarers. They still make their quite beautiful Phinisi schooners in mainly traditional methods. They can be seen being laid out near the shores. Centuries ago, prior to the discovery of Australia by Europeans they sailed from the town of Makassar to the northern shores of Australia with favourable winds to collect trepang or sea cucumber which they smoked. When the winds changed, they returned to Makassar with their bounty and the occasional aboriginal companion. They traded with the Chinese merchants who in turn sent their product to China where it remains a delicacy.
The Tamarind trees along the Northern coast bear testament and proof of their presence well prior to the Dutch explorers and Captain Cook who, despite being pilloried by some of the present generation, was actually well disposed to and protective of the first people. I say that advisedly because in everything I have read confirms they were independent warring tribes with different languages. It does not resemble a nation to me. First or otherwise! Then again, the facts are often the first casualty when they do not fit the desired narrative.
Makassar has been a trading port for many generations with Arabs, Indians, Chinese Portuguese, Dutch, English and most Southeast Asian nations passing through or settling there. Their presence is evident in the facial characteristics of many of its inhabitants. During my visits there I saw a number of people who clearly had aboriginal descendants. I guess the nights and voyages were long or the winds unfavourable.
Part 4 to come.
Peter Nevile
January 26
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